Introduction
Drug abuse is a menace affecting many individuals worldwide, especially young adolescents. The abuse of drugs is exercised by individuals of all ages, such as adolescents and adults consisting of college and high school students and graduates. In addition, most intellectuals in different professions have lost employment due to incompetency caused by drug abuse and addiction. Some commonly abused drugs include alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. The effects of drug abuse, especially in adolescents, have shattered the dreams of many, as the majority drop out of school. Several adolescents have also indulged in criminal activities such as robbery and stealing to satisfy their drug addiction. Drug abuse also affects the people around the victims, such as family members and friends. Similarly, drug abuse has also led to mental and physical health deterioration, with most abusers battling diseases such as kidney failure and lung diseases. Adolescent drug use has been prevalent over the past years due to age and cohort.
Anticipated Challenges Faced Regarding Drug Use and Abuse
As a teacher handling junior and senior high school students, I anticipate facing many drug use and abuse challenges. Teaching allows an individual to be constantly around students aged fourteen to eighteen. As a result, most of these students undergo physical, emotional, and mental changes. Most students are on the verge of identifying their personality and mostly tend to be initiated in groups or illegal activities with their peers. Furthermore, to fit into specific groups, these students must indulge in illegal activities like drug use and abuse both within and outside the school premises to prove a point. Due to the harsh economic times, most parents or guardians work extra hard with two to three jobs to provide for their families. Practically, these parents are not often around their children, making it hard to detect unscrupulous behaviors. The most commonly used and abused drugs around school premises include tobacco, smoking, alcohol, and vaping. The first challenge of drug use is that detecting drug use or abuse on school premises proves difficult. Most students do not necessarily disclose their use or abuse of drugs in public. E-cigarettes are commonly used drugs since they are highly undetectable and are packed in beautiful bottles with different shapes. Similarly, some e-cigarettes contain different flavors, such as vanilla and strawberry, making them hard to detect. The second challenge entails students not taking drug education seriously due to adverse backgrounds. Most students’ addictions tend to result from inherited behavior from their parents, guardians, or friends. The constant drug use and abuse exposure prompts students to start using drugs. Most students view their parents or teachers as superheroes and role models and hence tend to imitate every single action they do. Educating such students about the imminent danger and effects of drug use and abuse takes much effort. Changing their perspective on drug use and abuse proves difficult since they believe they are learning from the best role models. Lastly, most students using and abusing drugs struggle with their studies since they experience difficulties understanding and concentrating in class. The student’s grades decline, and some get devastated to the point of dropping out of school.
Preparation for Challenges
Mitigating these challenges requires absolute coordination between the teacher, students, and parents. Drug use and abuse prove hard to detect in schools due to the poor relationship between teachers and students. First, I will cultivate a positive and healthy relationship with my students to enable them to easily confide in me regarding all illegal activities happening on school premises. Secondly, I urge parents to spend time with their children to detect deviant behaviors easily. Parents should also work hand in hand with teachers to help mitigate drug use and abuse in students. Lastly, I would be keen to identify students struggling with their academics and find the course to help them turn their lives and academics around. I will urge all the teachers to participate in the drug club to educate students on the impacts of drugs.
Important Points from the Article
Drug abuse declined drastically in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that shook the world. Economies were shattered as some mitigation measures, such as lockdowns and curfews, made it difficult for drug users and addicts to fund their abuse fully. Secondly, the effects of drug abuse are categorized depending on cohorts, age, and period. The age effects are common in adolescents as their beliefs and attitudes strongly increase as they approach the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades (Johnston et al., 2022). Similarly, cohort effects include a change in behavior and attitudes constituting differences in substance abuse. Thirdly, although the research survey experienced challenges regarding data collection due to COVID-19, The research team utilized the small samples to produce accurate results that matched recent years’ demographics. Therefore, quality is more important than quantity. Producing quality results proves more effective than quantity results.
Description of Article Relationship
The article by Chaney & Rojas-Guyler shows the patterns of adolescent drug use. The effects of drug use tend to be harmful due to a disruption in the adolescent’s social cohesion and development. Age plays a significant role in the spread of drug abuse through beliefs and attitudes. Most adolescents indulge in illegal activities such as drug abuse due to peer pressure. The commonly used drugs include marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco (Chaney & Rojas-Guyler, 2015). Additionally, there are risks posed by substance abuse, including dependency, crime involvement, and adolescent development interference. Substance use and abuse in adolescents also increase with age due to a change in attitudes and beliefs. Age and cohort play a significant role in the prevalence of adolescent drug use and abuse.
Conclusion
In conclusion, age and cohort significantly influence adolescent drug use prevalence. An increase in age changes the attitudes and beliefs of an individual promoting drug use and abuse. Some impacts include drug dependency, increased criminal activities, and interference in development. Most adolescents get introduced to drugs through peer pressure, which later affects their studies, mental and physical health. However, over the past years, drug abuse has declined drastically due to COVID-19.
Reference
Chaney, R. A., & Rojas-Guyler, L. (2015). Spatial patterns of adolescent drug use. Applied Geography, 56, 71-82.
Johnston, L.D., Miech, R.A., O’Malley, P.M., Bachman, J.G., Schulenberg,J.E., & Patrick, M.E. (2022). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2021: 2021 overview key findings on adolescent drug use. Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan. http://www.monitoringthefuture.org//pubs/monographs/mtf-overview2021.pdf
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